The Weekly Primer

A rematch with the Clippers highlights the week before the Spurs head out for their longest non-Rodeo Road Trip since moving into the AT&T Center in 2002, a six-game, nine-day trek that begins Wednesday in Boston.

Save the date

Clippers, 7:30 p.m. tonight

We’re 10 games into the season, and so far the Clippers are only team to have soundly outplayed the Spurs. No matter what Stephen Jackson says, this isn’t the same squad the Spurs crushed in last year’s playoffs, not with the addition of Jamal Crawford and the ongoing maturation of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

at Boston, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

As has been their wont in recent years, the creaky — ahem, veteran – Celtics are off to another slow start, falling to 6-5 with an embarrassing loss at Detroit on Sunday. While they usually find a way to get it together come playoff time, their current form is another matter altogether. Oh yeah — Tim Duncan vs. Kevin Garnett!

at Indiana, 7 p.m. Friday

The Spurs made short work of the Danny Granger-less Pacers in their first meeting, crushing them 101-79 on Nov. 5. Indiana has lost 5 of 7 since that game, but there are glimmers of hope. Not only do the Pacers boast the league’s top defense, they’re 3-1 at home.

at Toronto, noon Sunday

In rebuilding mode once again, the Raptors are on pace to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season. On the bright side, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan (19 points per game) has played well since signing an extension most derided as ridiculous. Otherwise they’re headed for the lottery once more.

Around the NBA

Clippers at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

The Clips travel to face another high-powered Western Conference contender.

Oklahoma City at Boston, 6:30 p.m. Friday

Nothing in common between these two cities but their championship aspirations.

Lakers at Memphis, 7 p.m. Friday

Hard as it is to believe, but the Grizzlies just might be the best team in basketball right now.

New York at Houston, 7 p.m. Friday

Jeremy Lin will have to wait until next month for his return to NYC. Consider this the appetizer.

Storylines

* How bad has it gotten for Andrew Bynum? He doesn’t even need to be playing basketball to suffer an injury. Bynum compounding his existing knee condition while BOWLING, setting his timetable back even further and giving Philadelphia an even greater case of buyer’s remorse after trading for the oft-injured center this summer.

* Don’t look now, but the Lakers 4-1 since firing head coach Mike Brown. Granted, none of their four victims have winning records. But you can kinda/sorta get an idea of what they might become under new coach Mike D’Antoni, who has yet to coach his first game as he recovers from knee surgery.

* Those aforementioned knee issues seem to be going around. Brandon Roy is slated for his seventh knee procedure, derailing his comeback attempt with Minnesota. Roy hadn’t been playing all that well, shooting 31.4 percent in five appearances. But it’s still a blow to the Timberwolves, who have already lost six players to injury.

* It’s still ridiculously early, but it’s probably safe to assume nobody saw Memphis (8-1), New York (7-1), the Clippers (7-2), Milwaukee (6-2) and Brooklyn (6-2) getting off to better starts than the defending champion Heat (8-3), Oklahoma City (8-3), Boston (6-5) and the Lakers (5-5).

* One of the few bright starts to Boston’s slow start has been the superlative play of point guard Rajon Rondo. With a big hand from head coach Doc Rivers, who kept him in long after Sunday’s game at Detroit was lost, Rondo reached double-figure assists for the 34th consecutive game, the third-longest streak in NBA history.